62 TRANSACTIONS OK ROYAL SCOTTISH ARI50KICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



since many points which would never have occurred to the 

 originator of the project, but are capable of simultaneous 

 solution, are brought forward. By this means not only is 

 duplication of work saved, but the various departments of the 

 Forest Service are kept in close touch with what is going on. 

 Progress reports of research work are also handed in at intervals 

 and considered in a similar manner, and a final report is also 

 required before the project is considered completed. 



The Forest Products Laboratory, Madison. 



The laboratory, which has an ample storage-yard of about 

 two acres in extent, with sawmill, drying sheds and a wood- 

 working shop, is organised into eight technical sections for 

 experimental research, and one non-technical section which 

 attends to general maintenance. 



The technical sections are as follows : 



1. Timber-testing. 



2. Timber Physics. 



3. Wood Preservation. 



4. Wood Distillation. 



5. Pulp and Paper. 



6. Engineering (with Drafting Room). 



7. Chemistry. 



8. Pathology. 



I. Tlinber-testing Department. — Here investigations are made 

 into the mechanical properties of wood both before and after 

 manufacture, or preservative treatment, or seasoning. 



At present tests are being carried out on the different 

 commercial woods of the United States with a view to deter- 

 mining their relative mechanical properties, e.g. strength, 

 toughness, hardness, etc. A point wherein these tests differ 

 from those generally made by engineers is that the specimens 

 are collected from the forest, and the history of each, the 

 conditions of soil and environment, etc., under which each was 

 grown, are known. The structure of each specimen is noted 

 from microscopic sections made in another department, and as 

 sufficient data accumulate attempts will be made to correlate 

 the structure with the mechanical and physical properties. It 

 is hoped that this work may in time enable each species to be 

 so graded according to structure and corresponding strength, 



